


Hold My Hand

by inkykeys



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Injury Recovery, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-08
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-05-26 12:44:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6239878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkykeys/pseuds/inkykeys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Finn deals with the difficulties of recovering from his injuries, as well as his budding feelings for both Rey and Poe.<br/>EDIT: Since I have a bad history with not working on series I've set up, I'm keeping this a one-shot like I'd originally planned. If I do end up writing more along this vein, I'll make it a series and add it there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hold My Hand

Finn still hadn’t completely recovered from the lightsaber Kylo Ren had slashed across his back. Some days, it was like he’d never gotten hurt. Others, he couldn’t even get out of bed. Today was somewhere in between.

He slowly made his way down the narrow hallway towards the mess hall, every now and then leaning on the wall for support. Finn hated being like this, unable to move freely. It made him feel weak and lesser. His whole life he had been taught that only the best move on, that only the best deserve anything and that everyone else was just in the way. While he’d never truly believed any of it, that being the main reason he left the First Order in the first place, it didn’t mean that the rhetoric still didn’t affect him.

Once he’d finally made it to the mess hall and through the chow line, he scanned the room, searching for a group to sit with. He caught sight of Poe and his squad of pilots talking at a table to the side of the busy room. After a while of slowly shambling, Poe finally noticed him making his way to their table. He smiled broadly and waved him over, before frowning and getting up. “Finn, you want help with something?” He asked kindly.

“No, thanks. I’ve got this.” Being offered help was still so new to Finn, and he found it hard to accept. The mere idea that someone would want to help him was still strange, yet he felt warm whenever anyone did.

“Alright.” Poe waited and walked alongside Finn as he finished the distance to the table, only sitting down when Finn did. “So, buddy, how’ve you been?”

If the stiffness in Finn’s lower back and the shooting pain that danced across his flesh as he sat down was anything to go off, the answer was horrible. “I’ve been better.” He said, trying not to show weakness to his new friends.

“Well, you’ve certainly come a long way.” One of Poe’s squadron, the dark-haired girl, Pava, piped in. “Lightsaber to the back? No way I’d be back on my feet so fast.” She said with a reassuring smile.

“Finn, you’re amazing.”

Finn smiled a thanks to the compliment, another thing that was new to him.

The conversation drifted to talk of drills and and people Finn hadn’t met. He listened, trying his best to follow along with the jargon. After a while, the team began to trickle out of the lunch room and get ready for their daily activities.

Poe stayed with him while he finished his meal, keeping the conversation up even as the group shrank down to just the two of them. Finn sighed as he no longer had an excuse not to move. He paused, not responding to the question Poe had asked him. Instead, psyching himself up to stand back up. “Here, let me get that.” Poe asked, reaching for the now empty tray.

“No,” Finn said a bit harshly, “I can do it.” He slid the tray away from him and began to stand up. He moved slowly, his back having tightened up while he was eating. Every move caused either mild discomfort or brief shooting pain. But he grit his teeth and walked to return his tray. His steps were slow, yet Poe always waited just behind him.

The lunchroom was once again bustling with people as more came back from scouting missions and aerial drills. Rebels began to bustle throughout the wide room. As Finn shuffled from the table to the line for dirty dishes, he was forced to turn sharply in order to avoid crashing into woman whose arms held a tower of clean plates and silverware. The sudden jolt sent lightning up his spine and across his torso. He reached out out to grab something, anything to hold onto so that he wouldn’t fall.

It was Poe’s hand Finn was met with, sturdy and warm. They caught him, steadied him and held him up.

“Thank you.” Finn’s voice was quiet with sincerity. Poe had prevented him from falling and making a fool of himself in front of the entire lunchroom.

Poe locked eyes with him. “Don’t worry about it.”

Finn made his way out of the mess hall and back to his quarters, Poe’s hand ghosting next to his the whole way.

\----

Finn’s fingers still tingled with the warmth and close connection. It was only the second time he’d ever held a hand longer than the seconds it took to help someone off a practice mat.

But holding Poe’s hand wasn’t the same as holding Rey’s.


End file.
